How to Journal : a step by step guide

Summary

In this insightful video, the host explores the benefits of journaling, emphasizing its role in enhancing mental clarity, documenting personal growth, and preserving memories for future reflection. Viewers learn about the connection between emotional regulation and writing, as well as practical journaling techniques, including structured and unstructured methods. The Three C Method—Collect, Consolidate, and Connect—offers a framework for effective journaling, encouraging self-awareness and deeper understanding of one’s thoughts and behaviors. By embracing journaling, individuals can navigate life’s challenges while fostering personal development.

Takeaways

• 😀 Journaling helps process emotions by transitioning the brain from the limbic system to the prefrontal cortex, enhancing clarity.
• 😀 Regular journaling fosters self-awareness by allowing individuals to document their thoughts and feelings over time.
• 😀 Reviewing past journal entries can reveal personal growth and changes, countering forgetfulness and self-bias.
• 😀 Journaling serves as a tool for future reflection, potentially providing material for storytelling or autobiographies.
• 📝 Choose a journaling medium that is convenient for you, whether it's a physical notebook, an app, or an online platform.
• 📅 Structured journaling involves using prompts or frameworks to organize thoughts, making it easier to get started.
• ✍️ Unstructured journaling allows for free expression and creativity, promoting natural thought flow and emotional release.
• 📌 To improve memory retention, jot down thoughts throughout the day instead of waiting until the end of the day.
• 🔗 Implement the three-level method of journaling: Collect, Consolidate, and Connect to enhance the journaling experience.
• 💡 Analyzing journal entries after some time helps identify patterns in behavior and thinking, leading to better self-understanding.

Q & A

What are the main reasons to start journaling?

The main reasons to start journaling include managing overwhelming emotions, documenting life experiences, and enhancing self-awareness. Journaling helps clarify thoughts and track personal growth over time.

How does journaling affect the brain?

Journaling activates the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for logic and rational thinking. It helps calm emotions driven by the limbic system, allowing for clearer thinking and communication.

What is the relationship between emotions and the ability to think clearly?

When the limbic system is active due to strong emotions, the prefrontal cortex struggles to function effectively, leading to difficulties in logical thinking and communication.

What are the two main types of journaling mentioned in the video?

The two main types of journaling are structured journaling, which follows a predefined framework, and unstructured journaling, which involves freely writing down thoughts without a specific format.

What is the 'Three C Method' of journaling?

The 'Three C Method' consists of three levels: Collect (gather thoughts as they occur), Consolidate (organize collected thoughts into a coherent entry), and Connect (reflect on the entries to identify patterns and gain insights).

Why is it important to revisit journal entries?

Revisiting journal entries after some time allows individuals to view their experiences with less emotional bias, helping them to recognize patterns in their behavior and thoughts, ultimately leading to greater self-awareness.

What practical problems might someone face when journaling?

Some common problems include forgetting important thoughts by the time of journaling, especially during busy days, and having disorganized entries in unstructured journaling that make it hard to find specific information later.

How can digital tools enhance the journaling experience?

Digital tools like apps can provide accessibility across devices, organization through tagging, and the ability to easily search past entries, making the journaling process more efficient and enjoyable.

What should one consider when choosing a journaling method?

When choosing a journaling method, one should consider what feels easiest and most comfortable for them, whether it be a physical notebook, an online platform, or an app.

How can journaling contribute to personal growth?

Journaling encourages reflection and self-awareness, enabling individuals to learn from their experiences, track their growth, and identify areas for improvement, ultimately fostering personal development.

Outlines

00:00

📓 The Power of Journaling

In this part, the speaker introduces the concept of journaling, emphasizing its importance in managing emotions and thoughts in the fast-paced modern world. They explain how the brain's prefrontal cortex (PFC) and limbic system interact, affecting clarity of thought during emotional turmoil. The speaker highlights that journaling can help shift focus from emotional responses to logical thinking, aiding self-awareness and clarity. They also discuss how documenting experiences through journaling helps individuals track personal growth and change over time. Additionally, they touch on the future potential of journaling for those who may want to write about their lives later.

05:00

✍️ How to Journal Effectively

This part delves into practical advice on journaling techniques. The speaker outlines two primary methods: structured and unstructured journaling. Structured journaling involves using predefined questions to guide entries, making it easier for beginners to organize thoughts. In contrast, unstructured journaling allows free expression without a set framework. The speaker shares personal preferences and highlights common challenges, such as forgetting significant thoughts and finding specific entries later. To address these issues, they introduce the 'Three C Method': Collect, Consolidate, and Connect. This method encourages immediate collection of thoughts, consolidation of ideas later, and reflection on patterns over time, ultimately fostering self-awareness and personal growth.

Keywords

💡Journaling

Journaling is the practice of regularly writing down thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It serves as a tool for reflection, helping individuals to process emotions and document their lives. In the video, the speaker emphasizes journaling as a means to gain clarity about life and self-awareness, particularly in a fast-paced world filled with distractions.

💡Prefrontal Cortex

The prefrontal cortex is a region in the brain responsible for higher-order functions such as logic, rational thinking, and planning. It plays a crucial role in verbal communication and decision-making. The speaker explains that when people are overwhelmed by emotions, the prefrontal cortex struggles to function effectively, which is why journaling can help restore clarity by engaging this part of the brain.

💡Limbic System

The limbic system is an older part of the brain that governs emotional responses, including feelings of anger, sadness, and joy. It is often in conflict with the prefrontal cortex during emotional moments, leading to impaired judgment and communication. The speaker highlights that when emotions are high, individuals may resort to simpler language or react without rational thought, making journaling a helpful strategy to calm the limbic system and re-engage the prefrontal cortex.

💡Clarity

Clarity refers to the state of being clear and understandable in thought and expression. In the context of the video, achieving clarity is a primary goal of journaling, as it helps individuals sort through their emotions and thoughts. The speaker mentions that writing can help shift one's mindset from being overwhelmed by emotions to gaining a clearer perspective on situations.

💡Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is the conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires. The video suggests that journaling enhances self-awareness by allowing individuals to reflect on their experiences and emotions over time. The speaker points out that reviewing past journal entries can reveal personal growth and changes in perspective, which fosters a deeper understanding of oneself.

💡Structured Journaling

Structured journaling involves using a predefined framework or set of questions to guide the writing process. This approach helps individuals organize their thoughts and facilitates easier entry into the journaling habit. The speaker advocates for structured journaling as a beneficial starting point for beginners, citing examples of common questions that can prompt meaningful reflections.

💡Unstructured Journaling

Unstructured journaling allows individuals to write freely without any set format or prompts. This method can feel more natural and liberating but may also lead to disorganized thoughts. The speaker shares their personal journey with unstructured journaling, noting that while it can initially be challenging, it ultimately provides a sense of freedom in self-expression.

💡Three C Method

The Three C Method is a journaling strategy introduced by the speaker, consisting of three stages: Collect, Consolidate, and Connect. This method encourages individuals to gather their thoughts throughout the day (collect), organize those thoughts into a coherent format (consolidate), and reflect on them for deeper understanding (connect). By implementing this method, journaling becomes a more systematic and insightful practice.

💡Documenting

Documenting refers to the act of recording experiences, thoughts, or events for future reference. The speaker discusses how journaling serves as a personal archive, helping individuals track their progress and remember significant moments in their lives. This documentation process is essential in understanding personal growth and the changes one undergoes over time.

💡Patterns

Patterns are recurring themes or trends observed in behavior, thoughts, or emotions. The speaker encourages individuals to identify patterns in their journaling entries as a way to gain insights into their personal development and decision-making processes. Recognizing these patterns can lead to improved self-awareness and better interpersonal understanding.

Highlights

Journaling can enhance brain health by facilitating emotional clarity and logical thinking.

The video is structured into two main sections: why to journal and how to journal.

Life's rapid pace can overwhelm individuals, making emotional regulation challenging.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is crucial for logical thinking and communication.

When emotions are high, the PFC struggles to function effectively, leading to 'brain fog'.

Using words and writing helps calm the mind by engaging the PFC more actively.

Journaling serves as a tool for documentation, allowing individuals to track their personal growth.

Reflecting on past journal entries reveals how much one has changed and grown over time.

Journaling can aid in overcoming biases and negative self-perceptions.

Documenting life experiences can be beneficial for future storytelling or writing projects.

The medium for journaling should be convenient and accessible, whether digital or physical.

Structured journaling involves a pre-existing framework, making it easier for beginners.

Unstructured journaling allows for free expression and can feel more natural over time.

The 'Three C Method' of journaling includes Collect, Consolidate, and Connect.

Collecting thoughts throughout the day prevents the loss of important insights and realizations.

Consolidating involves organizing collected thoughts into a coherent entry with added reflections.

Connecting with past entries after some time fosters self-awareness and understanding of behavioral patterns.

Self-awareness gained from journaling can enhance empathy and understanding toward others.

The host encourages viewers to try journaling and share their experiences.

Transcripts

hi friends welcome back to my YouTube

channel where we talk about Neuroscience

your brain health and how to live a good

life you've all heard about journaling

now how many of you Journal regularly go

down to the comments and let me know if

you Journal right now before you watch

the rest of this video I'm dividing this

video into two parts why to journal and

how to journal there are time stamps

Below in case you want to jump ahead now

why should you Journal life is happening

quite fast these days and you and your

brain are going through a lot your me

meting new people learning new things

feeling a lot of emotions it can be

quite a roller coaster and some days

it's fun but other days it can feel

overwhelming because when your brain is

going through a lot of things especially

emotions it cannot think very clearly

you may find it difficult to plan ahead

you may get that feeling that you are

overthinking and some of you may have

felt what is called brain fog there is a

reason for this in your brain there's a

part called as the prefrontal cortex

which is responsible for logic rational

thinking and planning ahead this is also

the part that does the talking and the

writing so when you have something to

say to someone your prefrontal cortex

helps you find the right words but there

is another part called as the limic

system which is the old primitive part

of the brain this is the part that feels

emotions like anger and sadness but also

happiness and excitement and whenever

the lyic system is very active the PFC

can't do its job which is why whenever

you are emotional you can't think very

well you must have seen someone when

they are angry how they're not able to

speak properly they may use the same

words again and again or just use

insults they can't use complex sentences

and also they can't understand complex

sentences now people who are in

relationships may have experienced this

if your partner is very angry with you

and you say something smart and

complicated they will feel even more

angry this is because at this time they

are in a lyic phase so it's like you are

talking in a foreign language that they

can't understand which is very annoying

but as they Cal down they are able to

use more and more words now here is the

trick that you need to know if you use

more words you also calm down this is

because as I mentioned before using

words means you are using more of your

prefrontal cortex and the more PFC you

use the calmer you get and that is why

journaling helps because when you sit

down and write about your emotions your

brain is gradually shifting from a lyic

to a prefrontal stage and in this

process you get more clarity about life

the second reason to journal is to

document now if life is speeding up and

you are consuming a lot of content a lot

of information that also means that

you're forgetting a lot of information

and the more you forget the less you

learn and when you are living so fast it

is easy to get lost to lose track of

where you are and wher you planning to

go because let's face it it's very easy

to get distracted these days you're

doing one thing some phone rings some

notification pops and you've forgotten

whatever it is you were thinking

journaling is a way to keep track of

where you are where you're going and how

far you have come it is only when you

look at your previous journals entries

from a year ago or even a month ago or

even a week ago that you realize how

much things have changed how much you

have changed how much you have grown and

because our memories are not always good

and because we always have some biases

about ourselves it's easy to ignore our

own growth or think negatively about

ourselves or even lie about our our own

faults and mistakes journaling helps us

catch those things and that means we

become more self-aware and a third good

reason to journal is that someday you

will be famous and you or someone else

might want to write a book about your

life and then you won't remember all the

fun stuff you don't want that do you so

start journaling now that I've convinced

you that you should start journaling

let's talk about how to journal so here

we'll first talk about where to journal

should you write in a book some fancy

diary of Word document should you buy

some expensive app the short answer is

you should write in whichever place is

the easiest for you to write where you

write is not as important as whether you

write at all but that being said let me

tell you where I journal and what are my

reasons for it I journal online in a

website called notion I like it because

I can access it across all of my devices

and there's also a nice app which is

easy to use there is a widget that I can

put on my home screen for easy easy

access and within the journal I can also

add tags which makes searching really

easy my personal issue with journaling

in a book is that I travel a lot and

sometimes if I forget to carry that book

I don't want to miss out on my writing

but I know many people who journal in

notebooks and it works very well for

them now coming to how to actually

Journal there are two ways of doing this

I call it structured and unstructured

now quick reminder if you haven't

subscribed to this channel already

please do so it's a motivation for me to

create high quality videos for you and

you get to see awesome Neuroscience

content on your feed now structured

journaling is when you have a

pre-existing framework and you just fit

in your answers according to that

framework like a question and answer

section these questions could be like

what are you most grateful for today

what did you do today that made you

scared what are three things you did

today that you are proud of such

Frameworks are useful because they allow

you to organize your thoughts and it

makes journaling easier there are many

physical and online journals available

that already have such pre-existing

Frameworks in them or you can create

your own framework personalized for you

and as you keep growing you can change

this framework to suit your needs better

so structured journaling is a great

place to start with especially if you

haven't journaled before the other way

is unstructured journaling where you

don't follow any fixed framework but

just write what's on your mind this

might seem challenging at first but

after I did it for some time I found it

more comfortable and more natural even

freeing now there were a couple of

practical problems that I face with

journaling which I will share with you

and also give you Solutions number one

was that when too many things happen in

a day you can sometimes forget important

things like a realization that you had

or a good discussion that you had with a

friend you might forget it by the time

you start journaling at the end of the

day or the next day morning the other

problem I faced is in unstructured

journaling things may seem very

halfhazard because when you're writing

you're not really editing your thoughts

and so if you want to go back and you

want to find something specific you

might not be able to do that easily

especially if you're writing in a

physical book so for this I propose a

three-level method of journaling I call

it the three C method and the three C's

are collect consolidate and connect

level one is collect where you collect

your thoughts thoughts at the time when

you have them you don't wait till the

end of the day or the next day this is

like rough work it doesn't have to be

clean it's just a way for you to

remember something it can be done

anywhere on a piece of paper or you can

put it down on your notes app or the

most practical solution for me was you

can WhatsApp it to yourself just type a

quick message or leave a voice note so

that you can remember what happened and

at the end of the day when you actually

sit to journal you already have a list

of things to work with level two is

consolidate where you take everything

else that you've collected add more

things that you remember and put it all

in one place now you can add your own

thoughts about things add tags and even

add photographs if you want anything to

make your journaling experience more

exciting interesting and fun for you to

read later on now this is where most

people stop journaling document things

and move on with your life but actually

there is one more step to journaling

which I think is the most important one

and that is level three connect this is

where you spend time with what you've

written and learn from it and it helps

to do this after some time has passed

from the time that you've written it so

that you can see it without the strong

effect of lyic emotion so maybe after a

week or so after your PFC is working

fine go back to what you've written and

try to spot patterns in your own

behavior spot patterns in your way of

thinking try to think about why did you

do what you did try to spot similar

patterns in previous entries in your

Journal because as you zoom out and you

see more and more of your life the more

patterns will come out and that is how

you see more of yourself which is what

self-awareness is all about and once

you've done this with yourself it's

easier to do this with other people and

understand other people better and as

you keep getting better at this you will

learn more lessons faster and more

efficiently than you otherwise would

have these are lessons that would have

otherwise taken you months or years to

learn or maybe you would have never

learned them and that is the true power

of journaling try it out let me know how

it goes all the best to all of you

cheers